Chair reupholstery cost in Luxembourg (2026)

A €1 500 chair quote at TVA 17 % delivers at €1 755 all-in — compare on the TTC figure because upholstery firms quote net by default.

Format drivers:

• Batch size — a single dining chair costs more per piece than the same chair in a batch of ten; upholsterers discount labour 15–25 % from the fourth chair in the same fabric
• Fabric choice — a performance fabric at €80/m versus a standard woven at €35/m adds €150–€300 on a lounge chair with 6 m fabric need
• Foam replacement — switching from a cotton-batting refresh to full polyurethane foam replacement adds €80–€140 on a dining chair and €220–€380 on a lounge chair
• Spring rebuild — a sprung wing-back with broken springs needs a full base rebuild that adds €200–€400 to the labour line

The near-threefold spread between a basic re-cover and a full rebuild traces to six concrete lines rather than margin.

The six drivers that matter:

• Strip-down depth. Swapping the outer fabric only is the cheapest outcome at €250–€400 labour. A full strip-down to the frame — new hessian, new webbing, new foam, new wadding, new fabric — lands at €700–€1 100 labour on a wing-back.
• Fabric metrage. A dining seat takes roughly 0,6 linear metres of 140 cm-wide fabric. A club chair takes 4 to 5 m. A wing-back takes 6 to 8 m. Pattern-matching across cushions adds 15–25 % to the metre count.
• Trim and buttons. Contrast piping, welted edges, double piping and tufted buttons add €60–€180 per piece. An antique chair with nailhead trim adds €80–€160 in nails and time.
• Frame repair. A wobbly dining-chair frame with loose mortise joints costs €60–€140 per chair to re-glue and clamp. A broken lounge-chair runner is a carpentry line at €180–€380.
• Fabric grade. Basic woven polyester at €35/m versus performance velvet at €140/m makes the single biggest material-cost difference on a lounge chair.
• Customer-supplied fabric. Most tapissiers accept it with a labour uplift of €40–€80 per chair. Some refuse to cover warranty on the fabric but guarantee the workmanship.

Read the quote line by line. Upholstery is one of the trades where material versus labour splits are commonly confused.

Included in a typical €1 400 wing-back quote:

• Full strip-down to the frame
• New hessian, webbing and wadding
• New polyurethane-foam seat and back cushions
• Fabric up to 7 m at catalogue grade (trade-priced €45–€65/m)
• Single piping and standard top-stitch
• Fabric cut and sew, cover fitting, final tacking
• Collection from and return to a Luxembourg address within 20 km of the workshop
• Three-week turnaround in the declared upholsterer's studio

Usually not included — expect a separate line:

• Fabric upgrade beyond catalogue grade — premium at €80–€140/m adds €200–€600
• Frame carpentry — re-gluing, doweling, replacing a broken runner: €180–€480
• Spring replacement — full sprung-base rebuild: €200–€400
• Down feather fill upgrade — 50 % down / 50 % feather in seat cushions: €80–€160
• Leather in place of fabric — leather supply and labour: add €400–€900 depending on piece size
• Transport beyond 20 km — €1,20–€1,80 per km return

Red flags in a quote:

• No mention of what happens under the new fabric — you may end up with new cover over dead foam and broken webbing
• A bundled fabric line with no name or grade — ask for the brand, width and composition
• One-year-only warranty — two years on workmanship is the declared-artisan standard in Luxembourg

Fabric is the single biggest variable a customer controls on a chair project. The upholsterer can suggest but the choice drives the headline cost and the lifespan.

Grades typically stocked by a declared LU tapissier:

• Standard woven polyester, 140 cm width, 25 000 Martindale — €35–€55/m. Good for occasional dining chairs, 5–8 year lifespan in daily use.
• Performance woven, stain-resistant, 140 cm, 40 000 Martindale — €60–€90/m. The sweet spot for dining chairs with children or pets.
• Linen or linen-blend, 140 cm, 30 000 Martindale — €70–€110/m. Beautiful ageing, prone to creasing.
• Velvet, performance grade, 140 cm, 50 000+ Martindale — €90–€140/m. Good for lounge chairs, beware of direct sunlight fade.
• Wool or wool-blend, 140 cm, 50 000+ Martindale — €110–€160/m. Best-in-class durability, high-end price.
• Full-grain leather, per hide of approximately 4,5 m² — €600–€1 200 per hide.

Durability targets for household chair categories:

• Dining-chair seat pad in daily use — minimum 30 000 Martindale
• Lounge chair used daily — minimum 40 000 Martindale
• Occasional chair in a formal room — 20 000 Martindale is fine
• Child or pet household — performance-coated or stain-resistant mandatory

Metre count reference (140 cm width, plain fabric, no pattern):

• Dining seat pad: 0,6 m
• Dining chair, seat and back: 1,3 m
• Club chair: 4,5 m
• Wing-back lounge chair: 7 m
• Two-seat sofa: 14 m

Reupholstery is a stand-alone craft service. The default TVA position is 17 % on both the fabric and the labour. The 3 % super-reduced rate via the logement.lu mechanism is specific to fixed renovation works on a principal residence and rarely applies to movable furniture.

Rate in practice:

• Standalone reupholstery of movable chairs delivered to and collected from a private home: TVA 17 %
• Built-in banquette or fixed bench reupholstered as part of a qualifying principal-residence renovation and invoiced with the main works: potentially TVA 3 %
• Reupholstery for a business address (restaurant, clinic, office): TVA 17 % and the business deducts input VAT where applicable

What a compliant invoice must show:

• Itemised piece list — each chair numbered or described
• Fabric line with brand, reference, width and price per metre
• Foam and material line separately
• Labour line per piece with Martindale rating stated where relevant
• TVA line at the explicit rate (17 % or 3 %) with the upholsterer's TVA number
• Autorisation d'établissement reference in the upholstery or carpentry trade

Rate comparison on a typical €1 400 net project:

A tapissier quoting movable chair reupholstery at 3 % TVA is misreading the rule — confirm in writing before signing.

A 19th-century or art-deco chair is not a modern chair with a thicker seat. Restoration, not reupholstery, is the right word — and the price structure is different.

What changes on an antique project:

• Frame inspection first. A cabinetmaker may need to be involved if dowel joints are loose or the wood has dry rot. Budget €180–€480 for frame carpentry before the upholstery work starts.
• Traditional materials. Horse-hair fill, tow, calico base cloth and hand-tied springs replace modern polyurethane foam and sinuous springs on restoration-grade work. The material cost alone is 3 to 5 times higher than modern work.
• Hand-sewn trim. Double piping, hand-tied buttons, hand-nailed upholstery studs and passementerie add €200–€600 depending on the piece.
• Fabric choice matters more. Period-appropriate fabric (jacquard, brocade, velvet with a long pile) is available at Luxembourg-based fabric houses, imported from France, Italy and the UK at €90 to €220 per metre.

Typical price bands:

• Single art-deco lounge chair, period fabric, new foam (modern compromise) — €1 600–€2 400
• Louis XV or Louis XVI fauteuil, traditional rebuild, horsehair and webbing — €2 000–€3 200
• Pair of carved dining-hall chairs, restoration grade with frame regild — €2 400–€3 600 per chair

When to decline:

• The frame is cracked across a structural member — replacement carpentry can cost more than the chair is worth
• The wood species is protected (rosewood from before CITES) and documentation is missing — an upholsterer may refuse to handle it
• The chair has been previously reupholstered four or more times — the frame is likely damaged by repeated tacking and the base structure needs rebuilding

Upholstery quotes look similar on the headline but the scope under the cover is where quality lives. A tight brief turns a €900 versus €1 300 versus €1 800 spread into an evaluable comparison.

The six checks that matter:

• What is stripped and what stays. Is the hessian replaced or re-used? Are the webbing and springs assessed and replaced as needed? Generic "reupholstery" does not tell you.
• Foam specification. Density (kg/m³) and firmness (Newton rating) named in writing. 35 kg/m³ at 250 N is the standard for dining, 50 kg/m³ for lounge seats.
• Fabric brand, collection and reference. A catalogue reference is checkable. "Nice velvet" is not.
• Labour guarantee. Two years minimum on workmanship is standard for a declared LU tapissier. One year signals a non-declared workforce or an uncertain frame.
• Timeline. A two-week turnaround is fast, three to four weeks is typical, six-plus weeks is heavy backlog — factor into planning.
• Transport and handling. Collection and return, or is the chair dropped off? Within 20 km is usually free; beyond that it is billed at €1,20–€1,80 per km round trip.

A clean briefing pack:

• Clear photos of the chair from four sides plus a close-up of any damage
• Current fabric sample if available
• Dimensions (width, depth, height)
• Intended use (dining daily, lounge, occasional formal)
• Fabric preference (catalogue, customer-supplied, colour family)
• Timeline flexibility

Upholsterers quoting from the same brief land within ±20 % of each other. Larger spreads trace to scope differences — one bidder may have assumed foam replacement while another assumed a cover swap only.